ACT score averages and standard deviations, by sex and race/ethnicity, and percentage of ACT test takers, by selected composite score ranges and planned fields of study: Selected years, 1995 through 2012

Score type and test-taker characteristic

1995

2000

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Total test takers

Number (in thousands)

945

1,065

1,116

1,175

1,171

1,186

1,206

1,301

1,422

1,480

1,569

1,623

1,666

Percent of graduates

37.5

37.6

38.4

39.0

38.4

38.2

38.6

40.6

42.9

44.2

45.7

47.7

49.1

Average test score1

Composite score, total

20.8

21.0

20.8

20.8

20.9

20.9

21.1

21.2

21.1

21.1

21.0

21.1

21.1

Sex

Male

21.0

21.2

20.9

21.0

21.0

21.1

21.2

21.2

21.2

21.3

21.2

21.2

21.2

Female

20.7

20.9

20.7

20.8

20.9

20.9

21.0

21.0

21.0

20.9

20.9

21.0

21.0

Race/ethnicity

White

—

22.7

21.7

21.7

21.8

21.9

22.0

22.1

22.1

22.2

22.3

22.4

22.4

Black

—

17.8

16.8

16.9

17.1

17.0

17.1

17.0

16.9

16.9

16.9

17.0

17.0

Hispanic

—

—

18.4

18.5

18.5

18.6

18.6

18.7

18.7

18.7

18.6

18.7

18.9

Asian/Pacific Islander

—

22.4

21.6

21.8

21.9

22.1

22.3

22.6

22.9

23.2

23.4

—

—

Asian

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

23.6

23.6

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

19.5

19.8

American Indian/Alaska Native

—

20.4

18.6

18.7

18.8

18.7

18.8

18.9

19.0

18.9

19.0

18.6

18.4

Two or more races

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

21.1

21.4

Subject-area scores

English

20.2

20.5

20.2

20.3

20.4

20.4

20.6

20.7

20.6

20.6

20.5

20.6

20.5

Male

19.8

20.0

19.7

19.8

19.9

20.0

20.1

20.2

20.1

20.2

20.1

20.2

20.2

Female

20.6

20.9

20.6

20.7

20.8

20.8

21.0

21.0

21.0

20.9

20.8

20.9

20.9

Mathematics

20.2

20.7

20.6

20.6

20.7

20.7

20.8

21.0

21.0

21.0

21.0

21.1

21.1

Male

20.9

21.4

21.2

21.2

21.3

21.3

21.5

21.6

21.6

21.6

21.6

21.6

21.7

Female

19.7

20.2

20.1

20.1

20.2

20.2

20.3

20.4

20.4

20.4

20.5

20.6

20.6

Reading

21.3

21.4

21.1

21.2

21.3

21.3

21.4

21.5

21.4

21.4

21.3

21.3

21.3

Male

21.1

21.2

20.9

21.0

21.1

21.0

21.1

21.2

21.2

21.3

21.1

21.1

21.2

Female

21.4

21.5

21.3

21.4

21.5

21.5

21.6

21.6

21.5

21.4

21.4

21.4

21.4

Science reasoning

21.0

21.0

20.8

20.8

20.9

20.9

20.9

21.0

20.8

20.9

20.9

20.9

20.9

Male

21.6

21.6

21.3

21.3

21.3

21.4

21.4

21.4

21.3

21.4

21.4

21.4

21.4

Female

20.5

20.6

20.4

20.4

20.5

20.5

20.5

20.5

20.4

20.4

20.5

20.5

20.5

Standard deviation2

Composite score, total

—

4.7

4.8

4.8

4.8

—

4.8

5.0

5.0

5.1

5.2

5.2

5.3

Sex

Male

—

4.9

5.0

5.0

5.0

5.0

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Female

—

4.6

4.7

4.7

4.7

4.7

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Subject-area scores

English

—

5.5

5.8

5.8

5.9

—

5.9

6.0

6.1

6.3

6.4

6.5

6.5

Male

—

5.6

5.8

5.8

5.9

6.0

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Female

—

5.5

5.7

5.8

5.8

5.9

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Mathematics

—

5.0

5.0

5.1

5.0

—

5.0

5.1

5.2

5.3

5.3

5.3

5.3

Male

—

5.2

5.3

4.8

5.3

5.3

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Female

—

4.8

4.8

5.3

4.8

4.8

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Reading

—

6.1

6.1

6.1

6.0

—

6.0

6.1

6.1

6.2

6.2

6.2

6.2

Male

—

6.1

6.3

5.3

6.1

6.1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Female

—

6.0

6.1

4.8

5.9

6.0

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Science reasoning

—

4.5

4.6

4.6

4.6

—

4.6

4.9

4.9

5.0

5.1

5.1

5.2

Male

—

4.8

4.9

4.9

4.9

4.9

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Female

—

4.3

4.3

4.3

4.3

4.3

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Percent of ACT test takers

Obtaining composite scores of--

28 or above

—

10

10

10

10

10

11

11

12

12

12

13

13

17 or below

—

25

27

27

26

26

25

25

26

27

28

28

28

Planned major field of study

Business3

13

11

10

10

9

9

9

8

11

12

11

10

9

Education4

8

9

8

7

7

6

6

5

6

7

7

6

6

Engineering5

8

8

7

7

6

6

6

5

7

8

8

8

8

Health sciences and technologies

—

17

15

16

17

16

15

14

17

19

20

19

19

Social sciences6

9

9

8

8

7

7

6

5

6

7

7

8

9

—Not available.

1 Minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 36.

2 Standard deviations not available for racial/ethnic groups.

3 For years prior to 2011, includes business and management, business and office, and marketing and distribution.

4 For years prior to 2011, includes education and teacher education.

5 Includes engineering and engineering-related technologies.

6 Includes social sciences and philosophy, religion, and theology. For 2011 and 2012, also includes law.

NOTE: Data are for high school graduates who took the ACT during their sophomore, junior, or senior year. If a student took a test more than once, the most recent score was used. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.

SOURCE: ACT, High School Profile Report, selected years, 1995 through 2012. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1995-96 through 2008–09; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1995 through 2007; and Projections of Education Statistics to 2020. (This table was prepared September 2012.)